Tailgating Tips

For many, fall is their favorite season. Temperatures cool, leaves turn, but for sports fans, the beginning of football season is reason enough to love the turn to fall.

Here in the Midwest, high school, college and professional football are met with a cult-like fervor for tailgating. The experts of parking lot parties take their duties seriously.

Whether you’re new to the sport of tailgating or are vetted in decades of experience, here are a few tips in preparing for the big game day fun.

Pre-Planning Tailgating Tips:

1. Check the stadium policies

You’ll want to make sure you’re aware of any construction, traffic flow, new policies such as clear bags only, or other unexpected surprises that may have caught you off guard.

2. Make a plan and stick to it

It’s easy to overplan and anticipate that half the stadium might stop by your tailgate for a bite, but make reasonable assumptions on food. Keep enough small snackables on hand, but if you run out of your entrée, consider it a success that all of your food was enjoyed and you don’t have to mess with leftovers.

3. Think small

Don’t take up precious space with large containers of something you only use a little of. Pack condiments like pickles in Ziploc bags that can be tossed when you’re done tailgating. It makes for easy unpacking when you get home, too.

4. Safety first

Don’t leave home without essentials to protect you and your family: sunscreen, first aid kit, extra blankets, insect repellant and even wasp/hornet spray.